Skip the crowded beach by opting for a refreshing dip in a resort pool. Practical and fantastic, these pools run the gamut from rooftops with awesome vistas and funky bars to artistically sculpted infinity varieties with edges that seem to disappear into the ocean or the sky. Put a new spin on an old splash and take a leisurely lap around a cool pool in the Caribbean.
Anguilla
We can’t guarantee you’ll share pool space with rock star athletes, but with the NBA regulation courts at the swanky Viceroy Anguilla, it’s no surprise basketball superstar LeBron James takes five at the Sunset Infinity pool. And that's just one of 200 pools at the largest resort on the small island. Other splash-worthy options includes pools just for kids, others that are family-friendly, and some that are reserved for grown-ups who enjoy a sip and a snack at the water’s edge. Servers roam poolside delivering cold towels, sunscreen and fruity cocktails festooned with skewers of red cherries.
St. Martin
A showstopper with views on a clear day all the way to Anguilla, the brand new pool at the Grand Case Beach Club took six months and a big budget to build. High atop the beach and sea, the giant bathtub is curvy with lights circling the clear glass railing. With no shortage of chaises for an afternoon siesta, the 50 footer is the latest addition to the serene seaside resort close to the foodie town of Grand Case. The pool was designed with a gradual sloped entry for easy entry into the water, perfect for novice swimmers, and with a spacious deck coveted by sunset spotters.
Antigua
At 15,000 square feet, the Mediterranean Village Pool at Sandals Grande Antigua is the longest freshwater pool on the island. The heart of the hotel, the big dip is one of six large pools and a gaggle of smaller pools at the all-inclusive that fronts Dickenson Bay. With a lively swim-up bar and half a dozen whirlpools, the biggest pool at the 373-suite all-inclusive is an oasis on the northwest coast. For privacy-seekers, villas come with plunge pools, whirlpools and butlers who keep them neat. Should you be staying elsewhere on the island, a day pass - $100.00 (US) per person - buys unlimited pool time, and all you can eat and drink in seven bars and eleven restaurants.
Trinidad
You can lounge all day on the roof at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, where views from the mirror-smooth infinity pool are mesmerizing. Overlooking the Gulf of Paria and a steady parade of clunky oil barges making their way to Venezuela, the pool is a watery world away from the busy capital city of Port-of-Spain, just a short walk from the high rise hotel. Not just great for a cool dip, the pool is one-stop-shopping with a sun deck that hosts comfy chaises draped with extra-large wrap-around towels and a bar with a menu of local snacks and heady drinks.
Jamaica
Many make the trek up the Blue Mountains to the Strawberry Hill Hotel for the sumptuous Sunday brunch, while others come for the views of Kingston three-thousand feet below. True connoisseurs of an island chill-out come for a dip in the spectacular infinity pool built into the hilltop. Not short on panoramic vistas from every angle, the seventy-nine square foot mountaintop pool sits pretty in front of the bar and dining verandah where a slice of warm bread pudding and a cuppa Blue Mountain coffee is irie, mon. Serenely secluded with just a dozen cottages spread out on twenty-six acres, the coffee plantation-turned- resort is owned by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell and is the spot Bob Marley came for a natural high, musical inspiration and as the story goes, a romantic tryst or two.
British Virgin Islands
It is a trifecta of pool pleasure at Oil Nut Bay on the eastern tip of Virgin Gorda, third-largest of the British Virgins after Tortola and Anegada. Eco-hip, the pool trio at the Beach Club are made of recycled glass and divided for multi-generations of swimmers; one pool for children, one for teenagers and one with a swim-up bar for those old enough to order a cocktail. With views open to the Bay, standouts include walk-ins to the beach, a deck with oversize loungers, as well as a waterfall and grotto with in-water bar seating.
Aruba
The best part of the tri-level pool complex at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort is floating over to the terracotta-tiled Balashi Bar and snagging one of the in-the-water bar stools. On the Palm Beach strip, there’s plenty of slippery fun on the two-story slide, with cascading waterfalls and handsome decks made for soaking up the sunshine. For early risers, the towel hut opens at 7 a.m.
Puerto Rico
In the Convention Center district across the San Juan Bay from the Pan American Cruise Terminal, the rooftop pool at Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel is the hands-down coolest rooftop pool on the island. A coconut’s throw from Old San Juan, the ginormous pool clocks in at an impressive 57,000 square feet and is the primo perch for sightings of the floating city-sized ships as they chug along the bay. At San Juan's hippest urban resort, pool partyers flock to the Pool Bar & Grille for fish tacos and cocktails crafted with island-distilled Bacardi Superior White Rum.
Turks & Caicos
The showstopper pool in the center of the chi-chi Gansevoort Turks and Caicos in Providenciales has an immaculately manicured infinity edge and platforms that appear to float on the water. Ideal for daytime sunning and romantic candle-lit dining at sunset, the wooden decks are the most popular perches at the resort. The Caribbean cousin of its Manhattan namesake, the 91-room resort also comes with a fine spa, top-shelf restaurants and penthouse suites for special people celebrating special occasions.
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